


Drunken Beats Match the Wiring

by sammyspreadyourwings



Category: Bohemian Rhapsody (Movie 2018), Queen (Band)
Genre: Band Isn't Famous, Comfort No Hurt, Drunken Confessions, Early 1970s, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Getting Together, Happy, Idiots in Love, M/M, Mutual Pining, Platonic Cuddling
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-16
Updated: 2018-12-16
Packaged: 2019-09-19 21:37:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,877
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17009655
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sammyspreadyourwings/pseuds/sammyspreadyourwings
Summary: Brian and Roger are pining and John has a front row seat.





	Drunken Beats Match the Wiring

**Author's Note:**

> It all happens offscreen.

John alternates between wanting to laugh, maim, or feel sorry for his bandmates. They’re ridiculous on the best days and downright sad on the worst. Today happens to be the latter. Roger has just walked out to go on a date. Not unusual, but this girl has gotten under Rog’s skin because it’s a date-date and not an “evening of foreplay” as Fred has dubbed some evenings.

Speaking of Freddie, he apparently followed up on his threats of leaving John alone in the blast zone. It certainly seems like he’ll have to do damage control tonight. He sighs. A pinning Brian is one he doesn’t know how to handle.

Roger he can deal with. It’s easy. With how quickly Roger’s emotions shift all John has to do is wait until the one he wants is prominent. That or play music with him. Brian, on the other hand. His emotions are as complex as any mathematic formula. John can’t just fiddle until it works, it’d bring the whole equation down.

Queen can’t survive if Brian and Roger break each other.

He moves into the living room and he can already see the rain clouds forming. It’s time to take the kid wheels off. This will kill the band. Maybe if they broke up messily, but they would have been happy at least.

That’s what matters.

“You could tell him, you know.”

“Tell who what?”

John sends Brian a bland look, “Roger and that you fancy him.”

The look on Brian’s face is priceless. John wishes he had a camera.

“I’m not! With Roger! We’re just-!”

John raises an eyebrow and Brian meets his gaze. They lock eyes for all of thirty seconds before Brian breaks.

“I can’t.”

“Can’t or won’t?”

“He’s not interested in me.”

John wonders how mad Roger would be at him for his next statement. Technically he wasn’t sworn to secrecy. He decides he doesn’t want to spend his weekends babysitting.

Fred should be grateful.

“Is that why he spends your date nights complain about how you aren’t paying him any attention.”

Not exactly true, but near enough. The truth is too much of a betrayal to Roger. Even if it would prove his point.

* * *

“John!”

He glances at Roger and drops his book to wrap the blond in his arms. John isn’t a hugger, but Roger looks like he’s five seconds from crying. Last he knew, Roger was supposed to be drinking with some of his biology friends. It certainly smells like he has.

Somehow that doesn’t make this better. He knows Rog goes into one of three moods: clingy, sleepy, or horny. John lets out a soft ‘oof’ as Roger tries to merge with him. The hug is too tight, but Roger is shaking. He can’t deny him this.

“Rog, what’s wrong?”

He feels his shirt start to get wet. Carefully he starts maneuvering them to the living room. It isn’t easy because Roger’s legs don't support him well and he’s trembling. John doesn’t want to give the slightest impression that he wants to pull away.

They land on the couch awkwardly. There’s a knee digging into his hip socket, but he doesn’t want to maneuver Roger off of him. It might seem like a rejection of comfort. Roger scrambles to perch more comfortably for the pair of them, John ends up with a lapful of blond. His legs will go numb eventually, but for the time being it’s about as comfortable as can be. He wraps his arms around Roger and brings him to lay against his chest. Roger starts shaking again.

“It’s okay Roger. You’re okay.”

Eventually, the tears slow and John pats Roger’s back as he hiccups.

“What happened?”

“Nothing in particular.”

“Hm,” John presses his lips together, “so the sobbing was for nothing?”

“Didn’t say that,” Roger nuzzles into John’s neck, “just that nothing happened.”

John chuckles, “still being a smart ass?”

“Least I’m smart, you’re just an ass.”

He rolls his eyes but doesn’t let his grip slacken.

Several minutes later Roger finally pulls himself from John’s neck. He’s spent the last hour crying, and he looks it. His eyes are red and swollen and the skin of his face is blotchy.

“So?”

Roger quickly ducks back against John, but he’s not hiding, “I just… I’m alone.”

“Rog?” It was said quietly John wasn’t sure he heard it right.

“I’m going to die alone.”

“No you aren’t,” John says automatically, “you have us.”

“But Freddie has Mary and you have Ronnie and Brian is on a date.”

 _Oh._ John sort of wishes Freddie was here. This territory was something he was much better at.

“Doesn’t mean we’ll leave you. We’re family, yeah?”

He gets a small nod.

“But Freddie is always with Mary and Bri hasn’t hung out with me in weeks.”

John rubs Roger’s back, “you should tell him you miss him.”

“I do miss him!” He says it like a realization.

Oh, yeah. Roger is drunk.

“I miss him and his voice and his laugh.”

John needs to reroute the conversation before Roger says something he’ll regret.

“He’s got a stupid pretty smile and he gives the best hugs. I don’t know what I’d do without him.”

 _Too late._ John winces and hopes that Roger won’t hate him too much in the morning for failing to protect his vulnerable self.

“I love him,” Roger says it like the weather.

 _Save this John._ “Course you do, he’s your best friend.”

“No, no. Like I want to kiss his dumb face.”

“Well, the good news is you’re not the last to know.” _Just the second to last._

“I’m not?” Roger blinks, “who else knows.”

“Everyone who's ever been in a room with your two for longer than five minutes.”

Roger still looks confused.

“Most best friends aren’t half as touchy as you. Even Fred reigns it in when it’s not Mary.”

“Huh. Do you think Brian knows?”

John almost laughs. They wouldn’t be in this mess if Brian wasn’t as oblivious as Roger, “no.”

“What am I going to do?”

Just like that Roger’s back to being sad. John wants to know if it’s possible to get emotional whiplash from someone else’s emotions.

“Tell him or move on.”

Roger tenses and his eyes are bright and worried, “I can’t.”

“Not tonight, but soon.”

John sighs as Roger hides into his neck again. A minute passes and the tension leaks out of Roger’s body. Soft puffs of air tell him that Roger’s slipped into his sleepy drunk state. He should somehow move the blond to his bed or onto the couch, but John thinks it might be the fact that he’s with another person keeping him asleep.

He dozes lightly until he hears Brian return. John holds back the groan at the look Brian sends him, he’s sure he’d be dead if looks could kill. There’s clear jealousy in the hazel eyes. Now he’s certain the feelings are mutual, and he does not want to be in the crossfire.

“Please get him off of me,” his legs were tingling.

Brian is all too willing to abide by the request. Roger doesn’t even stir when he’s somehow picked up in a bridal carry. In fact, he curls into Brian’s chest and lets out a sigh that’s suspiciously happy. The slight anger evaporates from Brian’s shoulders at the sound and John prays for the patience to deal with their pining.

* * *

“He doesn’t do that.”

John counts to ten in his head.

“He does. Truthfully, when you’re interested in someone you tend to only focus on her and band obligations.

Brian ducks his head in acknowledgment of the statement.

“Roger feels abandoned by it.”

John bites his lip to stop from laughing at the horrified face Brian makes.

“It still doesn’t mean that I should ruin our friendship because I want something else.”

“Think of it this way, are you prepared to lose Roger-”

“No!” Brian makes it sound like John’s threatened to cut off a hand.

John purses his lips, “you might, because you couldn’t bother to talk this out with him.”

“What?”

“Roger isn’t a mind reader, and if you distance yourself with no explanation he’ll respond in kind because he’ll think that you want that and that he’s done something wrong.”

Roger is the second most sensitive soul, John has ever met. As much as he loves Brian, he won’t allow Roger to be hurt by the guitarist. Brian’s finger is tapping on his lip.

“You don’t think this will make him hate me?”

“The avoidance? Yes,” John sighs, “but actually putting the effort in and talking to him? Roger won’t hate you for that.”

“What if, he’s you know?”

“You have met Freddie, yes? They’re practically brothers. They were made to be best friends.”

“But Fred isn’t interested in him,” Brian says weakly.

“Are you being purposely dense for your martyr complex?” John feels like he’s very close to snapping.

“Hey!”

“Fred has said on multiple occasions his physical attraction to Roger, and Roger has heard him.”

Brian looks jealous at the thought. John would really like one day where the band doesn’t have any drama.

“Talk to him before you do lose him or your chance with him.”

“I’ll think about it.”

“Okay.”

John is pretty sure it’s a fifty-fifty chance that Brian will actually talk to Roger. Roger’s odds are even worse considering he’s following John’s advice of trying to get over Brian. Not that he’s been overly successful judging by the three moping sessions and two drinking binges John has endured the past five dates Brian’s had. He desperately wishes that Fred is up to date on band drama. Although… John wonders if it might be for the better that Fred only knows of Roger’s feelings.

There’s no telling what Freddie would try.

Brian has officially stopped moping, but now he’s pensive. John glances back to the relative safety of the kitchen and then to his bedroom. Instead, he moves to one of the lumpy armchairs. He doesn’t want to force Brian to talk, and he gets a grateful nod in acknowledgment. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to know Brian is separating outcomes into a pro and con list.

John trusts that Queen is strong enough to survive intrapersonal drama and relationships.

_Statistically,_ _most bands don’t fail, they break up._

* * *

John can’t bring himself to truly regret his meddling, because his bandmate’ happiness means the word to him, but some days it’s a near thing. He thought that Roger and Brian’s mutual moping was bad but them in the honeymoon stage of their relationship was worse. Ronnie assures him that he did a good thing.

He assures Ronnie that they’re moving in together as soon as possible because he’s so very tired of walking into any given room and seeing the pair necking like teenagers.

Fred is, naturally, thrilled to death.

Although there are times that he knows his “suffering” is worth it; like whenever he sees Brian curled around Roger because of a bad tabloid article or the times when Roger pull Brian back down to Earth after his head is in the start too long. They’re so entirely happy with each other. It’s a simple kind of love.

Queen finally feels untouchable.

**Author's Note:**

> In this house, we love John Deacon. If you want to talk to me I'm at https://sammyspreadyourwings.tumblr.com/! As always, leave your thoughts below!


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